OARDC to Host Compost Bedded Pack Dairy Barn Workshop on Dec. 5

OARDC to Host Compost Bedded Pack Dairy Barn Workshop on Dec. 5

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) will host a workshop on compost bedded pack dairy barns on Dec. 5. The same program will be offered in Tennessee on Dec. 12 and in Kentucky on Dec. 13. A compost bedded pack dairy barn is an alternative dairy system with solid manure handling options, said Lingying Zhao, an associate professor of food, agricultural and biological engineering at Ohio State University and one of the event's organizers and speakers.

"There's increased interest in the compost bedded pack system because of its potential for positive impacts on milk production and cow health and its ability to handle manure as a dry material," Zhao said. Possible benefits of the system also include less environmental risk from the animals' manure and lower costs to handle it, she said. Speaking at the workshop will be experts from Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, including OARDC and Ohio State University Extension, which are the college's research and outreach arms, respectively; the University of Kentucky; the University of Tennessee; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Featured will be recent research findings related to building design and management, milk production and quality, cow behavior and health, compost and bedding quality, indoor air quality, ventilation, economics, and NRCS standards and cost-share programs. Also on the program will be a panel discussion by dairy farmers who have used compost bedded pack systems and will share their experiences.

The farmers on the Dec. 5 panel will be Richard Indoe of Richman Farms, Lodi, Ohio; Alan Kozak, Clover Patch Dairy, Millersburg, Ohio; and Nathan Goodell, Goodell Family Farms, Mantua, Ohio. "The workshop will help dairy producers make knowledge-based decisions when considering adoption of the compost bedded pack system for profitable and sustainable dairy operations," said Zhao, who has joint appointments with OARDC and OSU Extension. Dairy producers, professional consultants, NRCS engineers, Extension educators and anyone else interested in alternative dairy housing options are welcome to attend, she said. The program goes from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in OARDC's Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave., in Wooster in northeast Ohio. An optional tour of the compost bedded pack system at Indoe's operation will be offered at 3 p.m.

Registration for the workshop costs $25 by Nov. 26 and $30 after that date and includes lunch. For more information, download the workshop flier at http://go.osu.edu/QR2 (pdf), call 614-292-6625 or email douridas.9@osu.edu. The flier includes a registration form and the complete list of topics and speakers. To register, participants should download, fill out and mail in the registration form along with their payment; or should send their name, address, contact information and payment to Amanda Douridas, Ohio State University, 590 Woody Hayes Drive, Columbus, OH 43210. Checks should be made payable to "OSU/FABE." Participants at the Ohio location are eligible for three Ohio Professional Engineers continuing professional development hours and two Ohio Department of Agriculture certified livestock manager credits.

On Dec. 12, the workshop will be offered in the University of Tennessee's Plant Biotechnology Building in Knoxville, Tenn.; and on Dec. 13, at the Christian County office of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service in Hopkinsville, Ky. For more information about both locations, download the workshop flier or call 614-292-6625. The organizers and sponsors of all three workshop locations are OARDC, OSU Extension, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, University of Tennessee Extension, the Ohio Livestock Coalition, the Ohio Dairy Producers Association and the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Cows kept in compost bedded pack dairy barns may produce more milk and be healthier, say organizers of a coming workshop on the topic. Also possible: Less environmental risk from the animals' manure and lower costs to handle it.